Caloosahatchee and Okeechobee Conditions Report

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Updated: 2023-05-18 06:58:00 EDT

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Purpose

This webpage/report is intended to aggregate information from different agencies (i.e. USACE, SFWMD, FWC, USGS and NOAA) into one spot to help inform local government agencies and stakeholders on conditions within Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary and Coastal southwest Florida. The data provided here should be considered preliminary and are subject to change.

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USACE Data Summary

Daily discharge volume in Acre-Feet per day for the last 14-days. Data Source: USACE
Date	S77	S78	S79	S310	S351	S352	S354	L8	S308	S80	NthLake 1	WCA1	WCA2	WCA3	ENP 2
05-17	5478	3293	4032	459	2283	1093	1343	672	0	11	415	280	-127	301
05-16	4391	3372	4071	372	736	1113	998	486	0	15	446	244	468	337	1,681.983
05-15	2711	1711	2940	275	161	974	551	428	0	4	502	0	538	387	1,683.966
05-14	2085	1744	2488	173	153	952	599	446	0	22	0	0	0	0
05-13	3511	1976	2734	226	163	990	950	448	0	15	500	240	738	347	1,678.016
05-12	4155	2885	3759	422	177	686	720	375	0	11	484	67	702	766	1,691.900
05-11	5336	3653	4672	434	157	0	553	424	0	23	514	125	474	837	1,719.668
05-10	5359	4025	4939	123	119	0	545	438	583	8	526	36	641	847	1,769.255
05-09	4050	3223	3918	50	93	0	653	345	286	11	545	109	585	998	1,822.809
05-08	2890	1950	2563	-46	147	0	908	313	547	15	536	264	577	1404	1,737.520
05-07	3840	2191	2772	-9	159	0	0	280	250	18	1027	226	605	1692	1,723.635
05-06	2789	2036	2105	-27	161	0	0	307	0	41	422	218	470	1983	1,666.115
05-05	1771	1313	2287	4	161	0	0	274	0	0	458	593	575	2515	1,392.396
1 Includes discharges from Fisheating Creek, S71, S72, S84, S84X, S65E, and S65EX1
2 Estimated as S12s+(S333+S333N)-S356. If no data is present (i.e. -NR-) either S12s, S333s or S356 data is not available.

Download Discharge as .xlsx

Average and total net discharge volume in Acre-Feet per day for the last 7-days. Data Source: USACE
Statistic	S77	S78	S79	S310	S351	S352	S354	L8	S308	S80	NthLake	WCA1	WCA2	WCA3	ENP
Average	3952	2662	3528	337	547	830	816	469	0	14	409	137	399	425	1,691.107
Total	27667	18634	24696	2361	3828	5808	5714	3281	0	101	2860	956	2793	2975	8,455.533

Average and total net discharge volume in Acre-Feet per day for the last 14-days. Data Source: USACE
Statistic	S77	S78	S79	S310	S351	S352	S354	L8	S308	S80	NthLake	WCA1	WCA2	WCA3	ENP
Average	3721	2567	3329	189	359	447	602	403	128	15	490	185	480	955	1,687.933
Total	48367	33372	43280	2456	4667	5808	7821	5238	1666	194	6375	2402	6246	12415	18,567.263

Caloosahatchee Conditions Summary: Flow to the Caloosahatchee Estuary had a 7-day average of 1,779 cfs at S-79 with a 7-day average of 1,993 cfs (112%) coming from the lake at S-77. The 14-day moving average flow at S-79 is 1,653 cfs and has been in the optimal flow envelope (750 - 2100 cfs; RECOVER 2020) for 35 days.

Lake Flows: In the past 7 days the total outflow from Lake Okeechobee was 48,659 AF with 27,667 AF to the Caloosahatchee through S-77, 2,361 AF through S-310 in Clewiston, and 15,350 AF to the EAA through S-351, S-352, and S-354. The total net inflow to the Lake was 2,860 AF (2,860 AF from Fisheating Creek, S-71, S-72, S-84s, S-65EX, and S-65EX1) . Water conservation areas received flows of 956 AF, 2,793 AF, and 2,975 AF at WCA1, WCA2, and WCA3, respectively. Everglades National Park received 8,456 AF.

Lake Okeechobee Level: 13.81 ft (Operational Management Band)

Lake Okeechobee Inflow: 233 cfs

Last Week: 14.06 ft

Lake Okeechobee Outflow: 3894 cfs

Weekly Rainfall Total:

WP Franklin ≥ 0.00”

Ortona ≥ 0.00”

Moore Haven ≥ 0.00”

Download Rainfall as .xlsx ACOE Daily Report 7-day Mean Discharge (cfs)

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Lake Okeechobee

Stage Elevation

Lake Okeechobee daily average stage elevation for water year 2024 (WY2024) relative to the last two water years (red line) relative to the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS) .

Data are provisional and subject to change.

Stage and recession rates this time for the current and last three water years
Date (Month-Day)	Water Year	Stage (ft, NGVD29)	7-Day Recession Rate (ft 7-d⁻¹)	30-Day Recession Rate (ft 30-d⁻¹) B
05-17	2021	11.00	-0.20	- NR -
05-17	2022	13.44	-0.27	-0.75
05-17	2023	12.67	-0.14	-0.72
05-17	2024	13.85 A	-0.21	-0.49
A Value estimated from average stage height across L001, L005, L006, LZ40, S133TW, S352HW & S4TW
B -0.5 ft 30-d⁻¹ maximum 30-day Recession Rate for HAB Deviation

• As of 05/17/2023 the mean stage elevation in Lake Okeechobee is within the Operational Low Sub- Management Band at a stage elevation of 13.85 feet (NGVD29).

Lake Okeechobee 7-day and 30-day water level recession/ascension rates during WY2024. Negative values indicate falling water levels (recession) and positive values indicate raising water level (ascension) during this 7-day period .

Data are provisional and subject to change.

Lake Okeechobee 7-day water level recession/ascension rates stop-light metric relative to the draft Snail Kite Performance Measure.

Data are provisional and subject to change.

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Regional Rainfall

Weekly (05/11 - 05/17) rainfall totals along the Caloosahatchee River
Mointoring Location 1	Weekly Rainfall Total (inches) 2
S79 (WP Franklin)	0.0
S78 (Ortona)	0.0
S77 (Moore Haven)	0.0
1 Data Source: SFWMD DBHYDRO (DBKEYS 16414,15495,16415) and USACE reports
2 Based on data from 05/11/2023 - 05/17/2023

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Relative Algae Condition

Sonde monitoring locations within Lake Okeechobee conducted by SFWMD.

Daily Chlorophyll, Phycocyanin,relative ratio of Phycocyanin (Phyco) relative to Phyco and Chlorophyll (Chl) and Turbidity within Lake Okeechobee monitored by SFWMD. Chlorophyll and Phycocyanin are plotted on log-scale. Thresholds of concern/risk identified for Chlorophyll (20 and 40 μg/L) and Phycocyanin (40 μg/L; Cotterill et al 2019 & Macário et al 2015).

Data are provisional and subject to change.

• Cotterill et al (2019) Phycocyanin sensors as an early warning system for cyanobacteria blooms concentrations: a case study in the Rotorua lakes. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 53:555–570.
• Macário et al (2015) New insights towards the establishment of phycocyanin concentration thresholds considering species-specific variability of bloom-forming cyanobacteria. Hydrobiologia 757:155–165.

Weekly mean water quality sonde Chlorophyll and Phycocyanin concentration at monitoring locations across Lake Okeechobee
Site	7-day Mean Chlorophyll Conc. (μg L⁻¹) 1	7-day Mean Phycocyanin Conc. (μg L⁻¹) 1	Green Algal Concern Category 2	Blue-green Algae Concern Category 3
L001	39	2	Warning	Min. Concern
L005	26	127	Warning	High Concern
L006	13	9	Min. Concern	Min. Concern
LZ40	10	36	Min. Concern	Min. Concern
POLESOUT1	59	10	High Concern	Min. Concern
POLESOUT3	18	2	Min. Concern	Min. Concern
1 Based on data from 05/12/2023 - 05/18/2023
2 Chlorophyll Categories: Min. Concern: values < 20 μg L⁻¹ Warning: values ≥ 20μg L⁻¹ and <40 μg L⁻¹ High Concern: values ≥ 40 μg L⁻¹
3 Phycocyanin Categories: Min. Concern: values < 40 μg L⁻¹ High Concern: values ≥ 40 μg L⁻¹

Algae Coverage

Cyanobacteria Index for Lake Okeechobee for 2023-05-17 (Data Source: NOAA NCCOS)

Average daily windspeed and direction and cyanobacteria algal bloom coverage of Lake Okeechobee. Data from NOAA NCCOS HAB data explorer.

Data are provisional and subject to change.

Blue-Green Algae Sampling Results

Blue-green Algae sampling results for the last 30-days for the 10 county area (Lee, Collier, Hendry, Glades, Okeechobee, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe). Data from FDEP Blue-green algae dashboard

Data are provisional and subject to change.

Of the 75 samples collected, cyanobacteria was dominate in 22 samples, 4 samples had toxins present ranging from 0.38 to 150 μg L⁻¹ (does not include non-detects).

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Caloosahatchee River Estuary

Discharge

Fort Myers Yacht Basin salinity (SCCF-RECON) and S79 discharge (SFWMD) data for the last six months.

Data are provisional and subject to change.

Fort Myers Yacht Basin salinity (SCCF-RECON) and S79 discharge (SFWMD) data for the last last 30 days.

Data are provisional and subject to change.

S-77 (from Lake Okeechobee) and S-79 (to Tidal Basin) flow data along the C-43 and Caloosahatchee River. C-43 Basin Flow was calculated as the difference from S-77 and S-79.

Data are provisional and subject to change.

Daily, 14-day moving average and 30-day moving average discharge for S-79 relative to the Northern Estuaries RECOVER performance measure and the established minimium flows and levels (MFLs) for the recent 6-month period.

Data are provisional and subject to change.

Daily, 14-day moving average and 30-day moving average discharge for S-79 relative to the Northern Estuaries RECOVER performance measure and the established minimium flows and levels (MFLs) for the recent 30-day period.

Data are provisional and subject to change.

• As of May 17, discharges conditions are within the optimum RECOVER salinity envelope.

Cumulative discharge for S-79 (to Tidal Basin) and S-77 (from Lake Okeechobee) for the last three Florida Water Years (May - April). Day of water year is analogous to day of year with Day 1 = May 1^st.

Data are provisional and subject to change.

Estuary Salinity

Daily average bottom salinity data for the last 14-days from sampling locations within the tidal Caloosahatchee River Estuary relative to oyster health (Sanibel, Shell Point and Cape Coral) and tape grass (Vallisneria americana) health (Ft. Myers only) conditions.

Data are provisional and subject to change.

Red Tide Abundance

Red tide sampling results for the last 30-days from just south of Tampa Bay to the Florida Keys. Data from NOAA HABSOS Program.Data are provisional and subject to change.

Red tide sampling results for the last 30-days from just south of Tampa Bay to the Florida Keys. Data from NOAA HABSOS Program

Data are provisional and subject to change.

Count of samples within each abundance category within the greater Caloosahatchee River Estuary (see grey box on map)
Cell Abundance (Cells L⁻¹)	Number of Samples
not present/background (0-1,000)	22
very low (>1,000-10,000)	7
low (>10,000-100,000)	2
medium (>100,000-1,000,000)	---
high (>1,000,000)	---

Chlorophyll fluorescence for coastal southwest Florida for 2023-05-17 (Data Source: NOAA NCCOS)

Red Tide Forecast

Red Tide Prediction and Tracking for coastal Southwest Florida from FWC and USF link.

Upper and lower water column HAB (Red Tide) forecasted trajectories from Ocean Circulation Group at USF.

Statewide Gulf of Mexico coastal Red Tide forecast from FWC and USF.

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Charlotte Harbor

Discharge

Daily discharge into Charlotte Harbor from major rivers and creeks. Data source: USGS. Grey dashed lines between points indicate a potential data gap with values linearly interpolated.

Data are provisional and subject to change.

 

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